I wonder if Hobbs is right, maybe I should avoid what renting what I haven't used and stick with what I have. Maybe neuros dimensions about the wideness of the 16mm and 24mm are right. I would imagine 50 people would fit in with a 24mm. I probably shouldn't be worrying about it right now but the shoot is coming up soon and renting a lens timeframe is dwindling. And thank you picturesbyme for the encouragement!

What is their mascot? Perhaps arrange the choir in that shape, with different folks wearing different colors (school colors, of course) to create a colorful image.

Good point TAF I'm not sure of the mascot or what the students will be wearing. I'm not sure if they have choir outfits or just street clothes. I never thought about that I will have to contact the director and ask. Thanks for that bit of advice!

Stick with the glass you have, if you're going to rent anything, grab some big strobes. Maybe some alien bees and grids? If you wanted to play with a lens, maybe a fishy 8-15mm? Kind of a huddle shot from the floor looking up?

Logged

"Me owning a lens shop is kind of like having an alcoholic bar tender." - Roger Cicala

If you're stuck indoors, maybe rent or borrow a couple more flash units and umbrellas. I shot large groups for my kids' school last year and used two silver umbrellas each with four Yongnuo 460ii about 15-20 feet back. Google "photograph large groups" and you will get a bunch of ideas.

Maybe the two 580's direct with no diffusion will give enough light. With your 5DII, you can afford to up the ISO a bit. If you're new to shooting large groups, like I was (and still am) the biggest thing that impressed me from my shoot was the real affect of the inverse square law with light (see the Adorama video below). With a few rows of people, you need to move the light back a bit to make sure the lighting on all three rows is relatively even. If the light is too close, the front row will likely be much brighter than the back rows. And when you move the light back for large groups, you lose a lot of light in a hurry (especially if the walls and ceilings aren't white). Check out the video and the others on Adorama about inverse square law.

Another tip, bring your laptop and shoot tethered with DPP and the EOS Utility. It is a big help to see the affects right away and be able to experiment with lighting. Of course, this helps with patient subjects. Maybe ask them to practice singing while you get the lighting right.

IIIHobbs

Cafeteria shot (from above) for a HS Choir could be fun. Lighting in Cafeteria may be harsh, but you can adjust color later. If the Choir has a banner, set it out on one of the tables, have them arrange around it, have fun, keep it simple.Go for it and dont be afraid to have multiple takes. This shouldnt be one set up and one shot. Move the kids around, get them involved, make it fun (but not silly of course).

All good advice coming my way I really appreciate this! I talked to a friend and shes going to let me borrow her 580ex ii and her 17-40L! So that should help a bunch too! I will write down all your ideas and bring them with! I will probably shoot tethered as well that could help a bunch it seems and maybe I will bring my sister if she is free, shes been in choirs for school from grade school thru college.